Dolce & Gabbana
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 7 sources
Milan luxury fashion house selling clothing, shoes and accessories.
Dolce & Gabbana publishes no supplier list or independent audits, which Italian fashion needs before we presume a living wage, because Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It doesn't show that workers are paid a living wage, and isn't certified as working towards one. On Track needs at least one of these.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Met: Respects worker rights
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: High-risk raw materials (cotton, leather, natural rubber, silk and cashmere) traced or certified, or not a major part of its rangeNot traced or certified: cotton
Red flags 1
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Dolce & Gabbana's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
Dresses & skirts, Suits, Shirts, Pants & trousers, Jackets & coats, Knitwear, T-shirts, Jeans, Sneakers, Shoes, Sandals & thongs, Bags & backpacks, Kids' clothes: Lacks transparency, the same as Dolce & Gabbana overall, because nothing we know differs between them.
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where it's made
Dolce & Gabbana names some of the countries it makes in: Italy. The rest is shown as where clothes and shoes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 92% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| BangladeshUsual for the industry | 2% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | 1% | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| CambodiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| PakistanUsual for the industry | under 1% | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Modern slavery statement
- Being made in Italy doesn't count towards a living wage or audit here: Italian fashion and leather goods, where Milan prosecutors have found luxury brands' subcontractors exploiting migrant workers. It would need to publish its suppliers or have them independently audited.
- Doesn't show where its cotton comes from. Cotton is linked to forced labour in Xinjiang and Turkmenistan, and child labour in several growing regions, so it can't be graded Good until it traces or certifies it.
- Uses natural rubber, silk and cashmere in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
- Traces or certifies most but not all of its leather. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of it traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Dolce & Gabbana says 92% of its spend with about 1,300 suppliers is in Italy, 6% elsewhere in Europe and 2% outside Europe. It makes some products in six sites of its own but most fashion is outsourced. Third-party audits based on SA8000 covered just over half of workshop spend in FY25. It publishes no supplier list and no living wage commitment; audits check Italian collective-agreement minimum wages. It scored 2% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index. 94% of its leather comes from LWG-certified tanneries. Italy is shown at 92%, its share of supplier spend; the other 8% is elsewhere in Europe and beyond, in countries not named.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution) | Listed | Scored 2% in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index, among the lowest of 250 brands (average 26%). View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Dolce&Gabbana Holding publishes a UK modern slavery statement; the FY25 statement reports about 1,300 suppliers, 92% of spend in Italy, and 145 third-party audits. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named in December 2025 among 13 luxury brands asked by Milan prosecutors for records in an inquiry into exploitation of migrant workers at Italian subcontractors. View |
| Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion Report | Not listed | Not rated in the 2026 Ethical Fashion Report; its ethical.org.au profile shows no Ethical Fashion Report score. View |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- In December 2025 Milan prosecutors asked Dolce & Gabbana and 12 other luxury brands for supply chain and audit records after police inspections in August and September 2025 found 36 exploited, mostly Chinese, workers at two workshops holding Dolce & Gabbana clothing; the brand was not formally under investigation (Il Giorno; AFP via FashionUnited, 2025). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Dolce & Gabbana (Shop Ethical / ethical.org.au) · search the archive · FTI 2023 score 2/100; What Fuels Fashion? 2025 8/100; no Ethical Fashion Report score
- Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands (FashionUnited/AFP) · search the archive · D&G among 13 brands asked for records; not formally under investigation; workers mostly Chinese
- Caporalato nella moda: 13 marchi (Il Giorno) · search the archive · Aug-Sep 2025 inspections of two workshops found 36 exploited workers and Dolce&Gabbana garments; document request Dec 2025
Published by Dolce & Gabbana or its owner
- Dolce&Gabbana Modern Slavery Statement FY25 · search the archive · About 1,300 suppliers; spend Italy 92%, Europe 6%, other 2%; six own sites; 145 SA8000-based audits; 6,036 staff; no living wage target
- Materials and Circularity (Dolce&Gabbana Sustainability) · search the archive · Leather: major use, traced most; 94% of leather in FY25 from LWG-certified tanneries. Fabrics (cotton, silk) and raw materials data
- Transparency & Traceability (Dolce&Gabbana Sustainability) · search the archive · No supplier list or per-material traceability figures; target of traceability schemes for 50% of main raw materials by FY27
- Dolce&Gabbana official website · search the archive · Cotton: major use, untraced. Silk, cashmere: minor use (printed silks, knitwear). Rubber: minor use in sneaker soles, untraced
Company details
- Headquarters
- Italy
- Employees
- About 6,036
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Dolce & Gabbana ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/dolce-and-gabbana, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded luxury and designer
No luxury and designer brand selling new goods is Good yet. These are the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Dolce & Gabbana.